this applies to all models of any bike. hope i am posting in the right place. recent posts on this forum (and others) in recent times, point out that the way to
fix an overheated/damaged plug is to cut it off and solder the wires together.usually the stator wires on a GL 1000. while this does indeed "fix" the problem ,i believe it is better to repair these things before they overheat. here is a pic of a plug on a bike ( running) that i bought recently. this is exactly what the repair i am showing will prevent.

nasty ? yes ? tools you will need,
small pliers
wire strippers
a very small screwdriver or similar to get wires out of plug
dialectric grease
new terminals ,male and female (very cheap from an auto electrician )
soldering iron
also , i find it useful to have a piece of large guage wire with an alligator clip on each end to hold wires to be soldered.

todays victim is the regulator plug..

unplug it and remove the wires from the plug. tip... take a pic so you dont forget which way wires go back.
most likely the wire will look like this, or worse. you may decide to simply clean the wire. i think it is better to replace the terminal.

i spray the plugs with degreaser, then wash in hot soapy water ,then blast them with air.

hold the wire in place, i use an alligator clip . hold the soldering iron on the back of the terminal.not too long, it will heat up very quickly.
remember to " tin" the tip of the iron. makes life very easy.

should look like this when soldered. you don't want ( or need) too much solder on this , it is very strong stuff...

now ,the same on the "male " plug. before

and after

now the most important part.. fill the back of the plug with dialectric grease. this stops any ,dirt,moisture , road grime etc from getting in and causing
corrosion ending in a poor connection.

re install the plug , then warn your Grand Children that they may have to have a look at it .( maybe)

This is great for restoring to better than a factory connection by the soldering of the connectors.
Creating a absolute vapor barrier is needed as the plug does not have a seal like most newer cars have.
Here in Louisiana,the sub tropics,>85% humidity/salt air will corrode mechanical electrical connections badly in just a couple of seasons.Even the bright shiny copper wire turns black deep into the harness.

For me,with my bike running in this area,I will continue to scrape the oxidation from the copper wire and solder direct any burnt plugs,clean what I can and seal the rest with RTV silicone.
For others in better,more electrical frendly area this method is great.
I never had a electrical problem when I lived in the high Desert(<10% humidity).

virgilmobile wrote:This is great for restoring to better than a factory connection by the soldering of the connectors.
Creating a absolute vapor barrier is needed as the plug does not have a seal like most newer cars have.
Here in Louisiana,the sub tropics,>85% humidity/salt air will corrode mechanical electrical connections badly in just a couple of seasons.Even the bright shiny copper wire turns black deep into the harness.

For me,with my bike running in this area,I will continue to scrape the oxidation from the copper wire and solder direct any burnt plugs,clean what I can and seal the rest with RTV silicone.
For others in better,more electrical frendly area this method is great.
I never had a electrical problem when I lived in the high Desert(<10% humidity).

sealing from the elements means just that. seal your plug with di-electric grease. does not matter if the area is dry and dusty or wet and humid. sealed is sealed. try one. you will be surprised.

I always have been a big advocate of soldering. It is surprising how many DIYers don't know how to do it or to do it correctly. When done correctly, you end up with the best connection and the most corrosion resistance just by itself. Dielectric grease is the icing on the cake.

This is a great idea for most connectors on a vehicle, however high current wires (Starter motor leads, alternator leads, etc) in my opinion need to be soldered, the slightest resistance will cause heat and that will cause oxidization and things will quickly go down hill from there. The plugs used on the Goldwing alternator wiring are really not suitable for the amount of current that the wires have to carry, removing the alternator plug and soldering it (correctly) is the smart thing to do, these plugs have a relatively small contact area which does little for minimizing the resistance, also whilst you have applied grease to the plastic connector where the wires enter the plastic housing, the seal between the 2 plastic plugs when they are pushed together is not hermetic, so you should also apply some grease to the inside of the female connector to help create a sealed join between the 2 plugs when joined together. Great tutorial, thanks for posting it.

There are some connectors that are used by model RC hobbiests on their electric aircraft and vehicles. Surprisingly, the LiPo batteries that they use can deliver pretty high currents. I just wonder if some of them could be used for the "three yellow wires", shrink tubing covered so that they were protected from the elements, but able to be separated (a sharp knife removing the shrink tubing) if necessary.

wow, what a wealth of knowledge on this site. I love it. Here is a grain of knowledge (called experience) that I'd like to share & contribute. These are tips that have worked flawlessly for me when I needed to access the terminals inside the plugs.
My eyes aren't as good as they once were, so I stick a lighted 3mm led down inside the connector to see that pesky little barb that needs to be pushed back against the terminal.
(3mm led powered by a little 9 v battery & 2 small alligator clip leads)
to push the barb back,... my tool of choice is a set of Jeweler's screwdrivers made by GENERAL made in USA. It has different blade sizes and they are made from good tempered steel with a nickel plated swivel handle with screw chuck. Blades that do not bend when you pry on them a bit.
I thought I paid to much for them at a hardware store while on a cross country road-trip and desperately needed a small screwdriver to tighten a helmet cam screw. Now I realize that they were worth the added few dollar cost and use them after my other HF ones don't live up to the task. Sure does cut down on my frustration in getting those terminals out of their sockets.

Oznium 3mm prewired white led Oznium.com prewired w/resistor for 12V
(yes, works w/9v battery for testing) (shipping is also inexpensive from them)

My bike hade a flat four prong trailer plug used on the yellow wires by battery,we use similar tools for picking out connectors at work,auto mechanic you can get different rings with different picks on them .we currently using a spray that just sprays on battery connections or where ever just keeps everything corrosion free and rust free ,I'll post the name of the spray tomorrow

Adding further to this post there is a product called "Stabilant-22" that can be used on the actual terminal sliding surfaces and gives those surfaces the conductivity of a soldered connection when currant flows through it. Not voodoo a real contact enhancer google it with that name it works great between it and the dielectric grease and soldered connections you can really get reliable connections

Are there any pictures and/or Video's of how to make those crimps work? I've used those really awefull ones from auto parts stores, and found the secrete to using them was getting a really good set of crimpers. It makes all the difference.

What I'm really asking is if there is avideo demo of the crimpers they have at Vintage connectors.

urbanmadness wrote:Are there any pictures and/or Video's of how to make those crimps work? I've used those really awefull ones from auto parts stores, and found the secrete to using them was getting a really good set of crimpers. It makes all the difference.

What I'm really asking is if there is avideo demo of the crimpers they have at Vintage connectors.

You're correct in that the crimpers make all the difference. I can tell you that the crimpers they sell at Vintage Connections are a bit expensive - but they are the real deal. I know this because I own two of them. They make excellent crimps, and are ratcheting, to save your hands.

Zombie thread! Seeing where the conversation left off here, I thought I might be able to add something to the conversation:

I highly recommend the proper crimp tool. Here is a copy of my post from another forum, a thread ironically titled "Electrical Connectors":

>When cutting the old connector off cut as close to the crimp as possible. You only lose about 1/4" of wire that way.

>Strip it. I usually strip about a 1/4" to 5/16". Three-eights is a bit much and not necessary:

Don't forget the insulator (if necessary)! (ask me how I know):

I finally figured out (after about three tries) that it's easier to load the connector in the crimp tool first. Note the stepped jaw. The trailing end has a higher relief so as not to over crimp the insulation:

Ratchet down on it just enough to hold it:

You only need about a 1/4" of insulation extended into the connector. Too much and you get into the part of the crimp that should be catching wire only. The jaws are pretty wide and hard to see inside, so I use my thumbnail as a guide when inserting the wire:

Crimp it!:

Voila' (as opposed to "Viola" which everyone knows is a musical instrument):

And finally, the insulator:

Procedure is the same for other types of connectors, just be sure to use the right insulator. Here we have the insulator for the female bullet:

Load the tool:

Crimp it... crimp it real good... and voila'! (as opposed to "viola" which everyone knows is a musical instrument):

Slide the insulator into place:

Dang! This is how they must of looked when the bike was new!:

Give the wire a tug when you're done. Occasionally I will get a loose crimp, but most of the time it is a result of smaller gauge wire. In those cases I will strip 1/2" of insulation and double the wire back on itself to mimic a heavier gauge wire. I use connectors, as well as the tool, from Vintage Connections. These are my go-to connectors for all things automotive. 8)

These double crimp connectors are so tight (when done properly) they are considered "gas tight" preventing oxidation by their very nature. Soldering them may give you a "warm fuzzy" but not really necessary. Lubricating corrosion protection of your choice on the contact surfaces of the mating halves on the other hand can go a long way towards preventing corrosion between the two connecting halves.